International Reports

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Empower Ministries International℠ works with carefully selected national ministries that operate with integrity, accountability and most importantly are committed to seeing people come to Christ. We provide the tools and resources needed to enable our brothers and sisters overseas to work even more effectively. This is possible because of our partners here in North America who have caught the vision and have chosen to be part of what God is doing around the world.

We invite you to come back often and read the news from each country which will be added as new reports are received from the fields.

Africa

African Arab Nations

Africa: Sudan

Africa: South Sudan

After more than five decades and two civil wars, South Sudan became an independent nation in 2011. The vast majority of its population practices animism (a traditional indigenous religion), and is practiced synchronistic with an influential minority of Orthodox Christians with basic Christian beliefs, and a small number of evangelical believers. The people are extremely open and curious about the Christian faith―they are sponges ready to soak up any information about Jesus and Truth.

Empower Ministries International℠ assists the national Church with outreach, training seminars, church planter support, New Testaments, Gospels, Gospel portions and tracts.

Africa: Egypt

Empower Ministries International℠’s work with the national Church in Egypt has many facets, which are all seeing exciting results. We have assisted with the costs involved in providing Vacation Bible Schools to reach 80,000 children in the villages along the Nile River. This effective ministry reaches the children and their parents with the Gospel.

In Cairo, untold thousands of Sudanese refugees live in poverty, after fleeing the horrors in their own country. They lack the most basic of necessities. Our partner ministries are sharing the hope of the Gospel through cell churches, education for the children and compassionate care.

Africa: Eritrea

Eritrea is a small, predominantly Muslim nation of five million people. Its strategic location on the Red Sea places the country along the world’s busiest shipping lanes. The nation shares a border with Ethiopia, Djibouti and Sudan. It is a spiritual hotspot where Christians face intense persecution; a place where courageous believers in Christ are effectively sharing their hope in Jesus at great personal cost.

Empower Ministries International℠ provides funding for national evangelists and church planters who operate in a very covert manner within this country.

Africa: Djibouti

The tiny nation of Djibouti is located strategically near the world’s busiest shipping lanes in Eastern Africa between Eritrea and Somalia. Its geographic location at the mouth of the Red Sea makes it an important spot for goods entering and leaving the East African Highlands. The country faces natural threats including earthquakes, droughts and the occasional cyclonic disturbance bringing heavy rains and flooding. Of the three quarters of a million people who live in the country, 94% are Muslim.

Empower Ministries International℠ provides funding for national evangelists and church planters who operate in a very covert manner within this country.

Africa: Ethiopia

When Ethiopia emerged from 17 years of harsh communist rule in 1991, the national Church began to experience unparalleled growth. The persecution facing believers in the country has only proven to strengthen and energize them for increased outreach.

A great hunger for Truth is spreading across Ethiopia, even throughout the historical religions of the country. One specific area where God is powerfully at work, is in the hearts and lives of the university students in Ethiopia―the nation’s Christian fellowship is the fastest growing in the world. Empower Ministries International℠ equips this ministry in a variety of ways to strengthen their work.

Amharic Bibles are needed in huge numbers to share the Good News and to ground new believers in God’s Word. And in this country where churches are being planted so quickly, one big challenge is to train enough national workers to lead the newly planted churches and to continue to plant more. Empower Ministries International℠ provides Bibles, as well as the vital training and support needed to equip national workers.

Africa: Somalia

Somalia holds a strategic location on the Horn of Africa. Its western border hugs the eastern edge of Ethiopia, and on the east, the country borders the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. This Islamic nation faces various seasonal challenges including recurring droughts, frequent dust storms and floods. While it is primarily a desert region, parts of the country experience seasonal monsoons as well.

The population is estimated to be just over 10 million though the large number of nomads and refugees that move due to famine and clan warfare make it difficult to determine an accurate number.

Empower Ministries International℠ provides funding for national evangelists and church planters who operate in a very covert manner within this country.

Africa: Morocco

Africa: Libya

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Latin America

Latin America: Guatemala

Outreach into the jungle areas of eastern Guatemala, just south of Belize, requires boats to access the isolated communities. We have provided riverboats used for both evangelism and to bless the villagers by enabling them to improve their local economies.

Empower Ministries International® has also provided evangelistic materials and Spanish New Testaments by the thousands. For illiterate new believers, we have provided solar-powered New Testaments to help them grow in their faith. Other ministry tools we supply to empower the national Church are sound systems and portable generators for outreach events. The provision of a motorized corn grinder blessed one village, but also provided an important tool enabling the village to host an evangelistic outreach event for those in nearby villages.

Latin America: Cuba

In 1991, there were roughly 1,100 churches and house churches in Cuba. Arriving at an accurate number today is almost impossible, but it is estimated that more than 20,000 congregations are worshipping the Lord and proclaiming the Gospel in the nation.

The dedicated pastors work diligently, often with few or no resources, and require support in order to provide for their families. We help to empower them by providing food, housing, and clothing. In addition, Empower Ministries International℠ supplies Spanish New Testaments to the growing number of new believers to help establish them in their faith.

Latin America: Honduras

With the endorsement of the Honduran government and the Ministry of Education, Empower Ministries International® provides Spanish New Testaments and children’s literature which are distributed through the national school system.

Primary education in Honduras is free and compulsory, but there is a scarcity of public resources. The provision of Scriptures and literature is eagerly welcomed by the 68,000 primary teachers in the country, all of whom have received training to teach Christian values based on the life of Jesus. One educator referred to this provision of Scriptures as "an answer to the chaos in Honduran society".

Latin America: Nicaragua

In this Central American country of almost 6 million, we have had the privilege of providing New Testaments for mass distribution through the Chaplaincy of the Military Police. The program was in conjunction with a nationwide Bible study program for the police officers.

The Spanish New Testament was designed uniquely with the insignia of the police force on its cover. Police officers were encouraged to carry their New Testaments with them, read them and use them as a moral and ethical foundation for their daily activities. To receive a copy of God’s Word is considered a special gift in this nation.

Empower Ministries International® also equips a unique children’s ministry with evangelistic materials, including Spanish New Testaments and children’s literature to primary school students.

Latin America: Costa Rica

Costa Rica’s government recognizes the importance of education for its people, and provides free and accessible education to all children in both urban and rural settings. Working with a well-respected nationwide children’s ministry, Empower Ministries International® provides Spanish New Testaments and children’s literature to primary school students throughout the country. The Department of Religious Education gratefully receives these publications and distributes them to teachers eager for Christian based teaching materials.

Latin America: Panama

Primary and Middle School are compulsory in Panama. Empower prints and delivers Spanish New Testaments and children’s evangelistic literature which are distributed to various areas through the national school system.

Latin America: Colombia

Once considered the "drug capital" of the world, Cali, Colombia is gaining a new reputation―as a city of prayer and revival. Each Easter weekend, Cali’s believers unite for an all-night prayer meeting. Gathering in the city’s football stadium, tens of thousands of believers join together to intercede for their city. This commitment to prayer is having incredible results in the outreach efforts in Cali.

We have provided hundreds of thousands of Spanish New Testaments to the national Church, and more are needed to establish the incredible number of new believers, in the Christian life. Our assistance has also provided Bible training and support for national workers who are needed in large numbers to shepherd the rapidly growing churches.

Empower Ministries International℠ also equipped a ministry that reaches out to ex-guerillas in the country, with Spanish New Testaments. This program transitions individuals who are released from prison, into society. The gift of God’s Word from a born-again ex-guerilla is a rich gift and a positive beginning to a new life. The New Testaments are also bringing hope to those inside the prisons.

Latin America: Brazil

Brazil is the largest and most densely populated nation in South America. Empower Ministries provides tens of thousands of Portuguese New Testaments as well as The King―an animated gospel book based on the Gospel of Mark, geared towards young teens and preteens―to church planting movements on the Amazon River system.

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Europe

Europe: Ukraine

Europe: Spain

Europe: Bulgaria

After 40 years of communist rule, this small nation of 7 million people has battled inflation, unemployment and corruption. Today, in this predominantly Eastern Orthodox country, there is a hunger for the Word of God.

Empower Ministries International® provides Albanian language copies of The King, an animated gospel book based on the Book of Mark, geared towards teens and preteens. We also provide Bibles and New Testaments for churches reaching out into the community through evangelistic campaigns.

Europe: Albania

In 1967 Albania was declared the world's first and only atheist country. When Albania's communist government of over forty years fell in 1990, religious freedom resumed. Today, up to two-thirds of the population is Muslim.

Albania remains one of the poorest nations in Europe. The small but vibrant national Church is eager to share the hope they have found in Christ, but outreach is limited by a lack of resources. To help fill this void, Empower Ministries International® provides Albanian language New Testaments and The King, an animated gospel book based on the Book of Mark, geared towards teens and preteens.

Europe: Kosovo

A former Yugoslavian province torn by ethnic wars, Kosovo endured insurgency and massacres in the 1990s leaving thousands dead. Today, physical remnants of that war remain across the country in the form of live land mines, and spiritually, the Albanian population, which accounts for 95% of the country's people, is still searching for peace.

The national Church of Kosovo appealed to Empower Ministries International® for help in the form of printed material for use in outreach. We have responded with New Testaments and The King, an animated gospel book based on the Book of Mark, geared towards teens and preteens.

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Israel

Arab Middle East

People in the Arab Middle East and North Africa are increasingly filled with disappointment, anger and hopelessness, generally questioning their beliefs and way of life. Many groups are responding with fierce demonstrations that demand stronger democracy and a crackdown on corruption. These startling developments confirm our suspicions that a mighty spiritual earthquake is happening in our day. Empower Ministries International℠ helps feed these spiritually hungry nations with various materials in Arabic while the foundations of their lives are being shaken to the core, including:

Middle East: Israel

Israel, Gaza Strip and West Bank

Here at the intersection of political unrest and God’s prophetic purposes, Empower Ministries International℠ strengthens and equips Messianic congregations for outreach in a field ready for harvest. People are looking for answers that can only be found in Yeshua―Jesus, the Messiah.

Our partner ministries in the country are strategically positioned to provide the answers. Assistance requested by the national believers is provided in various forms including Hebrew, Russian and Arabic New Testaments and compassionate care for needy immigrants.

In addition to the predominantly Jewish population, an estimated 1.5 million Arab citizens also live in Israel. Empower Ministries International℠ has provided tens of thousands of scripture-based materials to strengthen these Arab churches throughout the country, including in the Gaza Strip and West Bank.

Middle East: Kuwait

Middle East: United Arab Emirates

Middle East: Bahrain

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North and Central Asia

North and Central Asia: Russia

A great hunger for God is evident among the Russian speaking Jewish population in this country. To respond to that hunger, Empower Ministries prints Russian language Bibles that were specifically designed for the Jewish people. The Star of David graces the cover and inside, a section explains the Old Testament prophecies pointing to Jesus as the Messiah, the New Testament fulfillment. The Omega Project was a nationwide program to Jewish people, offering a free Bible to anyone who replied by mail. When the project was completed in 2010, an incredible 37,732 Bibles had been sent to people who responded eager to receive their very first Bible and to discover their long-awaited Messiah.

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South Asia

Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia: Vietnam

The Vietnamese people live under a communist government that has placed sometimes harsh restrictions and even varying levels of persecution on the national Church and believers of the country. But, despite this, local church planting movements are thriving. Empower Ministries International℠’s partnership is invaluable to the indigenous Christians working so diligently to reach their country for Christ. Our help is empowering church planters through monthly support, training and pastors’ conferences.

New Testaments and hymn books are being provided in Vietnamese and various tribal languages. Compassionate care for those persecuted for their faith comes through needed items including salt, malaria medication, mosquito nets, clothing, and more. Our assistance enables the national Church to lead men’s, women’s and youth ministries, and to reach out to thousands of children through Vacation Bible Schools.

Southeast Asia: Cambodia

The boundaries dividing Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam are porous areas, where it is common for people in border towns and villages to intermingle through marriage. Church planters from Vietnam who marry into Cambodian families bring the Gospel with them, reaching first their in-laws, then communities for Christ. Empower Ministries International℠ provides food, clothing, housing/rent and training for these dedicated workers as they passionately spread the Good News to neighboring countries.

Southeast Asia: Laos

This landlocked nation is tucked between Vietnam on the east and Thailand on the west with Burma (Myanmar), China and Cambodia completing the boundaries. Most of the country is mountainous, with thick forests. Of the 6.6 million people living in this communist state, 67% are Buddhist. In this environment, we are supporting national workers who are sharing the Gospel and planting churches.

Southeast Asia: Burma (Myanmar)

This Southeast Asian country was under the control of a military junta government for about 40 years. In this period, the people endured increased poverty, harsh restrictions on political expression and overall spiritual hopelessness. But since January 2012, this has rapidly changed. Today with a new political direction, there is a remarkable openness to progressive change and freedom. This abrupt turnaround in the nation has been attributed to a nationwide prayer movement conducted by all church movements that commenced in 2005. Empower Ministries International℠ had the privilege of sponsoring this prayer movement, and now a new day has dawned in Burma.

Cyclone Nargis struck the country in 2008 leaving death and destruction, and a long-lasting impact on the nation. Empower Ministries International℠ provided critical and urgent assistance to help the national churches as they worked together to meet the physical needs of the suffering people. This resulted in many opportunities for outreach by the national Church.

In this nation, home to 400,000 Buddhist monks, we provide Bibles and Christian literature to the national Church to respond to the great hunger for God.

On the Thai-Burma border, more than 100,000 Burmese refugees live in nine camps. Some were born there; some have lived there for more than two decades. They all wait to begin new lives in new lands. We support national workers living in these hopeless and chaotic camps who are injecting spiritual hope into the area, in the person of Jesus Christ. Our assistance also provides Bibles and ministry tools as well as compassionate care in the form of such items as food and mosquito nets. The provisions are basic, but vital. The increasing needs, and our assistance, are significant as every increase in food costs greatly impacts these people.

South Asia: Bangladesh

In this densely populated country where few have heard the Good News, the Bangladeshi people struggle against poverty, corruption, floods, tornados, cyclones, and the possible threat of earthquakes. To this country of uncertainty, Empower Ministries International℠ provides New Testaments, in the Bengali language, for new believers and for the purpose of outreach.

South Asia: India

Empower Ministries International℠ is partnering with several church planting movements in India, which is a country of 1.2 billion people. The two prominent religions are Hinduism and Islam. The size of the Christian Church varies in estimates, but likely numbers just under 6% of the population.

One of the primary ways we can strengthen this Church for growth and outreach is by providing the Word of God in various forms. New Testaments, children’s outreach material, Bible study curriculum and tracts in various Indian languages are eagerly received.

To reduce travel times for church planters who work in multiple, often distant, areas of ministry, we provide bicycles and small motorcycles. Funding of the highly effective Mini Crusades provides opportunities for national pastors to share the Gospel and reach their people for Christ.

Persecution in the country has intensified in recent years, along with the great spiritual growth. Our compassionate care for those who have suffered persecution enables national workers’ families to rebuild their lives. And for the multitudes of orphaned and homeless children, our partnership in children’s ministries is providing practical assistance and demonstrating the love of a Heavenly Father.

South Asia: Pakistan

The Islamic Republic of Pakistan has a diverse population of over 190 million people who live in a nation of conflict, poverty and corruption. A declared nuclear weapons state with the seventh largest armed forces in the world, it is often in the news. Empower Ministries International℠ provides materials in the Urdu language for outreach.

Empower Ministries International℠ also strengthens local congregations with the Word of God and various transportation needs.

South Asia: Bhutan

Southeast Asia: China

When communism gripped this nation in 1949, there were roughly one million believers in the country. Today, that number is estimated to be more than 140 million. Due to stringent restrictions on the printing and availability of Bibles, a critical need for God’s Word exists in China, especially in the rural areas of the country.

Millions turn to Christ each year, but new believers often cannot obtain a copy, or even a portion of God’s Word. Empower Ministries International℠ provides Bibles for the house church movement in China for only $2 per copy, as well as evangelistic and discipleship materials for outreach and growth.

Our support of underground Bible schools helps to equip and prepare pastors/church planters for involvement in the fast-growing house church movement. Monthly support for church planters, and compassionate assistance for families of arrested and retired house church leaders offers practical and vital help in this nation where multitudes are desperately hungry for God.